The US Mint's New $1 Trump Coin Comes With A Surprising Price Tag

Approved in March, controversial $1 coins featuring President Trump's likeness were officially released on September 2, 2026. These coins were commissioned as part of the country's 250th anniversary celebration. However, it is worth noting that the coins are not being placed into circulation and are instead available through the U.S. Mint in coin rolls of 25 or bags of 100. While the coins do feature a unique design and a golden finish, they are just one of several commemorative coins and new coin designs being released by the U.S. Mint in 2026, and are made of non-precious metal. With that in mind, it may come as a surprise to find out that these $1 coins are selling for significantly more than their legal tender value. 

Dubbed the President Donald J. Trump $1 Coin, a roll of 25 coins, which have a legal value of $25, are listed for $61 on the U.S. Mint website. Meanwhile the 100-coin bag option is listed for $154.50 – a full $54.50 over the coins' legal value. These totals do not include shipping, which starts at $9.99. However, it is actually not entirely unusual that the coins are being listed for more than their face value. Treating these coins as collectibles as opposed to regular currency allows the U.S. Mint to factor in things like production, packaging, and even distribution into its listing prices. In fact, Trump's coin isn't the only product being sold above face value by the U.S. Mint, and this is largely because collectors are often willing to pay more for these kinds of one-off uncirculated coins.

The U.S. Mint's assumption that people would want to collect these coins, and therefore pay more for them, turned out to be true. A virtual waiting room had to be implemented for the U.S. Mint's website on the morning of Wednesday, September 2 due to the high demand for these Trump coins. Within hours, both quantity options for the coin were listed as unavailable on the U.S. Mint's website. As of end of day Thursday there has been no formal announcement about when, or if, these coins will be restocked. That said, the Mint has not set a mintage limit for these coins, meaning more could be coming. However, it's worth noting that 250,000 of the initially released coins were allegedly struck at the Philadelphia Mint on July 4th -– something that would be hard to duplicate with subsequent coins.

It is perhaps not entirely surprising that these coins sold out as fast as they did given the controversy that has surrounded their design. When the designs were first unveiled it was clear that Trump intended to break with American tradition -– in which living U.S. presidents do not appear on currency. However, while certainly not common, there was technically no specific legal limitation to Trump's proposed design. As such, these $1 coins now join the likes of Trump's dollar bill makeover and special commemorative "Patriot Passport" design –- all of which feature Trump's name, signature, likeness, or some combination of these elements.